Best Telehealth Options in BC, Compared

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Roughly one in five BC residents doesn't have a family doctor, and even people who do can't always get seen quickly. Telehealth has become the pressure valve — and in BC the landscape is unusually good, because several services bill MSP directly, meaning you pay nothing. Others charge real money and earn it with speed, hours, or specialized care. Prices and programs below were verified against each provider's own site in July 2026.

The comparison at a glance

| Service | Model | Cost in BC | Availability | Best for | |---|---|---|---|---| | Maple | On-demand text/audio/video with GPs & NPs; paid specialists | $0 for one MSP-covered GP visit/day (Mon–Thu, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. PT); otherwise $85/month family membership | 24/7 for members | Speed, off-hours care, families, specialist access | | Telus Health MyCare | Booked video appointments with doctors & NPs | $0 with MSP ($70/visit if uninsured); counselling & dietitians paid | Day, evening & weekend appointment slots | Free video visits with a scheduled time | | Felix | Asynchronous (message-based) treatment for specific conditions | ~$40 visit fee (varies by category; not MSP-covered) + medication | Async — submit anytime | Ongoing treatments: birth control, ED, acne, hair loss, mental health, weight loss | | Rocket Doctor | Booked video/audio visits with physicians | $0 — bills MSP directly | Same-day where available; waits vary with demand | Free physician visits, incl. some specialist and ADHD care | | Pharmacist minor-ailment visits | In-person/phone at BC pharmacies | $0 (province-funded) | Pharmacy hours, most days | UTIs, pink eye, allergies, contraception and other listed minor ailments | | HealthLink BC 811 | Phone triage with registered nurses | $0 | 24/7 | Deciding what kind of care you need |

Maple: fastest, and free-ish in BC

Maple is Canada's biggest virtual care platform and the one to beat on speed: you're typically matched with a Canadian-licensed doctor or nurse practitioner in minutes, any hour of the day, via text, audio, or video. Prescriptions go to your pharmacy or your door; lab requisitions, sick notes, and referrals are all handled in-app.

BC gets a deal most provinces don't: one MSP-covered GP visit per day, Monday–Thursday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Pacific, free with a BC Services Card. Outside that window, Maple now works on a membership: $85/month covering you, your spouse, and kids under 18 (one visit each per day), plus paediatric visits, iCBT tools, and monthly credits toward its referral-free specialists (dermatology, psychiatry, endocrinology, therapy, and more). There's no longer a pay-per-visit option for primary care outside Quebec.

Trade-offs: the membership is only good value if you'll actually use it; there's no continuity of provider; and controlled substances aren't prescribed. Read our full Maple review for BC for the deep dive, or try Maple here — signing up is free and the MSP window works without a membership.

Telus Health MyCare: free video visits, by appointment

Telus Health MyCare is an app offering video appointments with doctors and nurse practitioners, and it's covered by MSP — eligible BC residents pay nothing for medical visits (the uninsured rate is $70, which tells you what MSP is absorbing). Appointments run through the app, including evening and weekend slots, and providers can prescribe (pickup or delivery), order labs, and refer to specialists. No referral is needed to use it. MyCare also sells paid, non-MSP services — counselling and dietitian sessions — which some workplace benefit plans cover.

Trade-offs: it's appointment-based rather than on-demand, so you take the next available slot rather than connecting in minutes; availability fluctuates with demand; and like every telehealth service, it's episodic care rather than a permanent doctor. As a free default for BC residents who can plan a same-day or next-day video visit, it's arguably the first thing to install.

Felix: asynchronous care for specific conditions

Felix works differently from everything else here. Instead of a live visit, you complete a detailed online assessment for a specific condition category — birth control, erectile dysfunction, hair loss, acne and skin care, mental health, weight loss, and other everyday health needs — and a licensed clinician reviews it asynchronously, messages you with any questions, and prescribes if appropriate. Medication ships to your door in discreet packaging, with automatic refills.

Pricing (verified via Felix's help centre): the online visit fee is around $40 in most categories, covering a prescription valid up to a year and ongoing messaging support; checkup/renewal visits are often free if completed before your prescription expires. Medication is billed separately at quoted prices — weight-loss programs, for instance, run to several hundred dollars a month depending on the drug. Felix is private-pay (not MSP-covered), though drug plans may cover the medication itself.

Trade-offs: Felix isn't for acute problems — you can't take a fever or an infection there — and asynchronous review means hours, not minutes. But for renewing birth control without burning a clinic visit, or conditions people prefer to handle privately, it's the most convenient option in Canada. If that matches your need, you can start a Felix visit here.

Rocket Doctor: MSP-covered visits, growing pains included

Rocket Doctor is a physician-founded platform where BC residents see licensed doctors by video at no charge — the service bills MSP directly. Doctors on the platform can diagnose, prescribe, order labs and imaging, and refer to specialists; it also runs focused clinics (including virtual ADHD care) and, notably, positions itself as serving rural and underserved patients. No referral needed.

Trade-offs: demand in BC has at times outstripped physician supply — Rocket Doctor itself notes longer-than-usual waits and has added nurse practitioner consultations to absorb demand — so it's better for "this week" problems than "right now" ones. Still: free, physician-led, and a solid second free option alongside MyCare.

Don't forget the fully public options

Two province-funded services quietly cover a lot of telehealth ground. 811 (HealthLink BC) connects you to a registered nurse 24/7 who can tell you whether your issue suits virtual care, a pharmacy, a clinic, or an ER — a genuinely useful first call. And BC pharmacists can now assess and prescribe for a list of minor ailments (UTIs, pink eye, allergies, cold sores and more) plus contraception, free, no appointment platform required. For anything needing hands-on care, see our guide to walk-in clinics, UPCCs, and ERs.

Which should you pick?

• "I want free and I can book ahead a bit" → Telus Health MyCare, with Rocket Doctor as backup.
• "I need someone at 11 p.m., or minutes matter" → Maple (sign up) — free window on weekday middays, membership for everything else.
• "It's an ongoing prescription need (birth control, ED, acne, hair loss, mental health, weight loss)" → Felix (start a visit).
• "It might be a minor ailment" → your pharmacist, free.
• "I don't know what I need" → call 811 first.

One honest caveat applies to every service on this page: telehealth is episodic. None of these platforms will follow your health over years the way a family doctor will. Use them as a bridge — and meanwhile, register on the Health Connect Registry, read our guides on finding a family doctor in Vancouver and what to do while you wait, and watch our live list of clinics accepting new patients.

This guide is general navigation information, not medical advice. For health questions call 811 (HealthLink BC); in an emergency call 911.